Ryan’s mom and dad are very special people to me and I love being around them. It’s an extra bonus when it involves a special occasion like this when I can see their families too; it’s always so nice to see everyone.

Here are some of my favorites images from the day.

In addition to his mom, dad and brothers Michael and Matthew, Ryan is surrounded by a fantastic extended family that loves him tremendously…

Mike and Angela, thanks for allowing me this privilege to document Ryan’s baptism. The ceremony was so nice and the celebration afterwards was yummy and fun!! By the way…I’m still waiting for that recipe!! 😉

are smart, beautiful, handsome and fun. I’ve had a great time these past few weeks photographing seniors and I have a lot to blog, I’m going to start with Erin. I’ll catch up on my blogging in the next few weeks.

Erin is heading off to college in a couple of weeks. She had her senior pictures taken last year but wanted something more than just the classic senior headshot.

A personal note about Erin. Many of you know that I own another business, ABC Jamboree. Since the early 90’s we’ve been traveling to child care centers throughout VA, DC and MD to teach motor development, tumbling and dance. Through our program, children learn at an early age that movement, which later translates to exercise, is FUN! Erin was a student of ours when she was itty bitty. The past few summers she has come back to the school, A Small World, to teach. I’ve got to admit, I had to get over the shock of “she’s all grown up and teaching MY children” . It was really cool to be able to photograph her before she heads off to college!

So off we headed for a fun photo shoot to get some great shots of this beautiful college freshman.

A little attitude???

WOOHOO!!!

Erin, I had a fun time with you and your mom during our first photo shoot; it was nice to be able to get to know you more. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you and I’m excited to hear all about it, so keep me posted! 🙂 And I’m so glad that both your mom and dad wanted to come back for family portraits. I’m looking forward to getting together with you all to show you the rest. They’re awesome!!!

Here’s one of my favorite family portraits…not sure which caption to use:

“Happy holidays from our home to yours”
or
and this is dad speaking, “This is our new home since sending our daughter to college!”

I had the pleasure of witnessing Alicia and Gray exchange vows at Prettyboy Reservoir late Friday morning.

They could not have chosen a more beautiful day. When I walked outside to load my gear into the car, I was taken back by the cool, crisp air. It was weather you expect to find on a gorgeous fall day, late September, certainly not on an August day. I was elated for this couple.

The drive to their home, combined with the awesome “fall day” was truly a great start to my work day. I drove the rolling hills, saw people riding horses and even said moo a few times when I passed a cow. It was going to be a GOOD day! 🙂

I had the pleasure of meeting Gray, of Manna Bros. when he came to give us a bid on finishing more of our basement for my studio. My husband and I knew that he was ALRIGHT! Not only did he have a great track record, but he understood my need for attention to detail because his work would represent my work. And let me tell you, they did a phenomenal job! They were there each day with great attitudes, worked late into the day, were pleasant to my girls and performed top notch work. Not only did they meet the expectations he promised but exceeded them! That is something that I strive for everyday with my business, to aim high and land higher, and it’s refreshing to see someone else handle his business the same. Okay, that wasn’t intended to be a commercial for Gray, but there you have it! 😉

This was the first time I met Alicia and she was everything Gray said she was. He spoke highly of her the very first time we met him. I know, sweet, huh?

They are doing some remodeling in their beautiful home. Along with some paint samples that were attached to the walls, I saw this…and smiled…

(if you know Patrick, shhhhhh, these portraits are a birthday surprise for him…no telling okay?) 😉

I had sooooo much fun with Heather and her 3 absolutely handsome boys last week at the beach. These guys are all boy!! and it was a blast being around them.

First of all, Heather was hesitant about being in any of the photographs, (not sure why, she’s beautiful) but I gently persuaded 🙂 her to seize the moment! She’s adorable and there’s this great interaction between her and her boys that was really fun to observe.

The purpose of the session was to get a nice wall portrait for their home, a birthday surprise for her husband. We were able to get many great portraits, here’s a few.

Feel the love 😀

These boys were fantastic. While they were doing this…

…they wished they were doing this…
🙂

Heather, thanks for the beach fun! Your boys were GREAT! and so were you! 🙂

Aiden, Nate and Keegin, thanks for having so much fun in front of the camera. You were a blast to photograph. If I had boys, I’d want them to be just like you!